FrameMaker and Word: Tables with Automatic Artwork (Cautions)

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About This Episode

FrameMaker 11 "remembers" which paragraph style is in each column of a table when you create or update the table style. This includes paragraph styles that have artwork form the Reference Page. Using these two features in tandem, you can easily create a two-column "CAUTION" box table that will place CAUTION artwork to the side of your text. Since the CAUTION arwork is invoked from the reference page, you can change it there once and update all instances of the CAUTION used in a new table. This allows (a) swift and easy authoring with consistent results and (b) the ability to globally update all instances of a particular segregated caution statement. With WORD, considerable effort would be required to plant consistent artwork in all instances of such a table.

Often, documents imported from Word or other programs will cause blank paragraphs in FrameMaker. This can lead to bad pagination when a blank linke occurs at the top of the page. Fortunately there is an old but "trusty" method for locating all instances of blank paragraphs and eliminating them from your FrameMaker document in a single step. Watch this brief video to find out just how simple this is to do. This brief video is great for beginners.

Many people know how to import all values and styles from one FrameMaker document into another. But, did you know that there is a method that will let you select only those paragraph styles you wish to import into a new document? This brief video shows you how to eliminate the styles you don't wish to import, and have only the paragraph styles you wish present in your source format document. This technique avoids bringing in unwanted and unused styles, saving you hours of clean up down the line.

FrameMaker 11 gives you two ways to modify or control capitalization of text: (a) keyboard short cuts to "retype" the case and (b) paragraph format properties to "force display" upper case or small caps. You will find the 3 keyboard shortcuts for swiftly switching from UPPER CASE to lower case and Initial Cap Case extremely useful. Watch this brief video to find out how.

Sometimes users don't discover advanced features in FrameMaker 11 due to lack of curiosity; they forget to pull-down an option arrow to see other choices. 99% of the time, we want autonumbers or "prefix" text to go at the BEGINNING of the paragraph. There, however, some instances when we would like to put automatic text and/or numbers at the END of the paragraph. This can be particularly useful for suffixes like "Example" or certain repetitious text citations. Let this brief video show you how to use this unique, yet powerful formatting feature.

FrameMaker 11 has many keyboard short cuts for creating special characters like em dash or en dash within body text, but some of these short cuts do not work in dialogue boxes. For instance, if you wish to have a trademark symbol or an em dash as part of your paragraph auto numbered format, you need a special code preceded by a backslash. This very brief video shows you four common key sequences to use in dialogue boxes for special characters

FrameMaker 11 gives you very tight control over hypenation. Not only can you control hyphenation on a document of paragraph level, you have several tools for making individual words break or not break the way you wish at a line break. Watch this short video to discover how.

FrameMaker is generally known for having "the best tables on the planet." Due to the many things you can do with tables, there are some pagination and formatting features that many users do not discover. This brief video reveals that: (a) Table Titles can go above or below the table, (b) that you can specify that a table start "anywhere" (e.g. below current line) or (c) the table "floats", allowing a backfill of text pagination if the table moves to the next column. The video also touches on how you control breaks with tables, or make a table "unbreakable" in pagination via table row formats. Although these are advanced features, they are very simple and logical to use. Watch the video and find out how "you can do it too!"

Cross references (xrefs) are a hallmark of long, complex FrameMaker techcom documents. Unfortunately, not all FM users have discovered the handy, optional "pods" that can appear at the bottom of your workspace. The Cross Reference pod is extremely useful for display previously hidden meta-data associated with your xrefs. For instance, you can view all xrefs in all open documents, of filter your view to only display external xrefs, or unresolved (broken) xrefs. This brief video takes you through a complete tour of the tools at your disposal in the indispensable cross reference pod.

FrameMaker 11 has many options for controlling placement of anchored frames. This brief video examines just one popular option: placing graphics in the outer page margin of two sided page layouts. Not only are the steps simple, you can preserve all of your values in a Graphic Object Style and tag other anchored frames to behave the same way. Once you have done this, you can simply update the definition for an anchored frame object style and have all frames of the same name globally update in an identical fashion. This can be a HUGE timesaver, especially in language translation projects.

FrameMaker 11 is a user-friendly DITA/XML authoring and editing tool. In this brief video we look at several ways that you can select and manipulate XML elements without using the familiar structure view window. Several convenient keyboard shortcuts are shared.

FrameMaker 11's powerful book feature can also be used to do something quite simple. In this case, visual document display housekeeping. When several authors are working with various chapters in a book, it is not uncommon for each author to save their chapter with different view options. For instance, one author may leave rulers, grids and text symbols displayed, while another author has turned off all options, including the display of graphics. This can be disconcerting for whomever does final edits on the book level. Watch this very brief video to see how easy it is to select all book content and set view options to be the same for all chapters or documents.

FrameMaker 11's powerful automatic numbering is not always used to it's full potential. Most users use one paragraph to start or restart a numbered list, and another paragraph style for the subsequent numbers, like 2, 3, 4, etc. In this brief video, Adobe Product Evangelist Maxwell Hoffmann shows you how to use a simple label and a special counter in an introductory paragraph or heading, that will automatically set the first item of a following, associated list to "1". You have to see the video to fully grasp this powerful, yet simple technique. This method can save you hours of re-tagging paragraphs if you need to reorder the items in your lists.

You can easily import a Word document into unstructured FrameMaker format by simply opening the Word file in FrameMaker. One shortcoming is that the graphics embedded in Word will come over as embedded graphics in FrameMaker; this makes your files larger and you cannot edit the graphics. The Smart Paste command in structured FrameMaker may be used to swiftly convert selected Word graphics into referenced graphics. In this brief video, Adobe Product Evangelist, Maxwell Hoffmann (@maxwellhoffmann) shows you the simple steps to accomplish this. You are actually just using a temporary DITA Topic files as a placeholder to allow the file conversion to take place via smart paste. Try it; it's easy!

This video shows how to combine two commands (a) keyboard shortcut "ESC m p" to automatically shrinkwrap your anchored frame around the size of graphic contents and (b) Object Style Designer to create a "named frame" that has the vertical baseline adjustment you desire. This is ideal for projects in which you have a lot of small screen captures for "key caps" on the baseline of your text. In this very brief video, Product Evangelist, Maxwell Hoffmann (@maxwellhoffmann) shows you how.

FrameMaker 11's powerful FIND command also lets you narrow down your search to just a few font/format ovverrides. In this brief video, Adobe Product Evangelist @maxwellhoffmann shows you how to use the FIND/Character Format option to search for 3 things, like bold/italic/small caps. The secret is in putting all of your FIND character format choices to "As Is" or "neutral." Then, you can select the 2 or 3 things that you know are distinctive about the text you seek. Once we find the overriden format, we swiftly apply the character tag Default Para Font (to remove all overrides) and then apply the "Emphasis" tag, to enable global font updates. Try this, it is easy to do.

FrameMaker 11's powerful tables also have keen control over table row formats. You can go beyond mere page breaks to keep rows together. Also discover how easily you can control vertical alignment of cell content in tables. Watch this brief video and discover how you can do it too!

FrameMaker 11's powerful tables give you a variety of ways to resize columns. You can: (a) resize columns to width of longest line, (b) make column equal to another (c) make column a certain percentage of current size or (d) even "copy/paste" a table column width from another table. And that is just a start. Watch this 6 minute demo to get a solid grounding in this simple, yet powerful feature. Adobe Product Evangelist Maxwell Hoffmann shows you how.

Running Headers and Footers are easy to create in FrameMaker 11. YOu simply insert system variables on the master page to display the first instance of a paragraph style. With a simple modification to the definition of a H/F system variable, you can also have your master page display the LAST instance of a paragraph style. Combining these two types of variables empowers you to swiftly create "dictionary" headers, which show the FIRST and LAST instance of text from a paragraph style at the top of your page. Adobe Product Evangelist Maxwell Hoffmann (@maxwellhoffmann) shows you how!

FrameMaker has an easy facility for designating which paragraph style follows when the return key is pressed. This allows you to "chain" paragraph styles together in repeating cycles. This simple technique is ideal for simple "data entry" in projects like catalogs, or academic glossaries that need to be input by staff who have minimal training. Try it! It's fun!

Learning how to create format rules in the EDD is simple, once you've grasped basic principles of formatting in FrameMaker 11. You see, Format rules in the Element Definition Document (EDD) exactly mirror every day choices you find in the paragraph, character or table catalog. This brief video shows you how a guided editor in the EDD will prompt you for what values you can legally create. Notice how closely the choices mirror those found in your format designers.

FrameMaker 11 can save you a great deal of time and money over seemingly "less expensive" XML solutions, due to the reduced time to create full formatting for all of your outputs. This brief video walks you through a carefully researched Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator that will identify "cash leaks" in many competitive XML or DITA solutions. Although the calculator is populated with typical, realistic values, you may swiftly customize it with your own data. Here is the URL shortcut to go to the calculator itself: http://adobe.ly/17QTK1K

Our www.douwriteright.com calculator enables you to see savings calculated for FrameMaker advantages over Word. In this video, we "zero out" all categories in the calculator and just enter reasonable values for sideheads on several large projects. We explore how sideheads are commonly created via Tables in Word, and the problems that method leads to. Then we do work with the exact same document content and formatting in FrameMaker to demonstrate how "fool proof" sideheads are, even with numbered headings. As you can see, the savings with sideheads in FrameMaker over Word are considerable. Try it for yourself!

In Microsoft Word, there are often problems associated with inserting single column layout or landscape pages within multicolumn layout, if a section break is required in the middle of a multi-level list, or next to a numbered heading. This is not the case with FrameMaker. Word requires section breaks to change page layout; FrameMaker uses straight forward master pages for page layout. Watch this brief video to see how "unbreakable multi-level numbering" in FrameMaker stays intact as individual page layout is changed, or even when a landscape page is inserted next to multi-level numbered headings.

Go to our microsite at www.douwriteright.com and try out the savings calculator. This brief video walks you through a hypothetical workload that one Word user may have, when contemplating upgrading to FrameMaker. Product Evangelist Maxwell Hoffmann discusses the logic behind each categories, and even attempts to lower the savings by reducing hourly rates or the scope of the project. You'll soon discover that no matter how modest your project scope is, if it is real technical documentation, FrameMaker will save you a substantial amount of money. You can certainly save enough to cover the cost of your FrameMaker licenses.

Adobe Certified Expert, Matt Sullivan, shows you a simple technique for updating a navtitle in a ditamap in structured FrameMaker 11. The familiar tools in the resource manager do not provide the solution. Find out how switching to the 'document view' for ditamap provides a simple solution.

Certified Adobe Expert Matt Sullivan takes you through the few simple steps to modify out-of-the-box structured FrameMaker templates for DITA 1.2. With these techniques, you can add your own company logo, or your own look and feel to topics or concepts that you create in DITA using FrameMaker 11.

Some people have tried regular footnotes in FrameMaker body text, but never noticed that they can also create different looking footnotes in tables! In this very brief video, Product Evangelist, @maxwellhoffmann, shows you just how easy it is to insert, cut and move regular or table footnotes. Watch how they reorder themselves automatically. You will also find out how numeric, alpha or symbol footnote display is determined.

Here's a really cool "Table Trick" in FrameMaker 11. You have the ability to make a Table Style "remember" a different paragraph style for each column in the first row of header rows or body rows. Why not add some automatic text (paragraph prefix) to those "remembered" paragraph styles? This technique allows you to insert a table with 2 mouse clicks, and have your header row automatically filled in with the text you desire. Let Adobe product evangelist Maxwell Hoffmann show you how simple it is to accomplish: you can do it too!

FrameMaker 11's user variables are highly useful for product, people or place names that are subject to change when you need a different version of a project. Fortunately, you can redefine user variables ahead of time in external templates, and then change both definition and formatting of a term in a flash. Watch this brief video to find out just how easy it is!

FrameMaker 11's logical model for updating paragraph formats actually lets you drag select through consecutive paragraphs, and then update selected values for multiple styles. This eliminates the steps of going into the paragraph designer 4 times to update 4 paragraph styles. Watch this 5 minute videos to see how you can update 4 styles in just 1 step!

Certified Adobe instructor, Barb Binder, shows you step-by-step just how easy it is to add automatic warning labels to paragraphs in FrameMaker. This is accomplished with "text without numbers" in the auto numbered properties of a paragraph. This ensures that paragraph prefixes will be consistent and always spelled the same. Barb also shows how to create artwork and text on a reference page that will display with a particular paragraph style. After this 4 minute tutorial, you can do it too!

Adobe Certified Trainer Barb Binder takes you through the simple steps of creating and using landscape pages mixed in a portrait oriented document. Unlike Microsoft Word, FrameMaker uses master pages, not section breaks. This eliminates a host of problems experienced by Word users when section breaks are adjacent to complex numbered headings or lists. You can either allow pagination to go through the FrameMaker landscape page, or around the landscape page.

FrameMaker 11 reintroduced keyboard shortcuts for many common actions, like assigning paragraph tags or character tags. Certified Adobe Instructor, Barb Binder, takes you through the simple actions for using time saving keyboard shortcuts that you will want to use on a daily basis.

In this instructive session, Adobe Certified FrameMaker instructor Barb Binder describes 3 ways to get content from Word into FrameMaker. Barb makes it clear that content will likely continue to come from Word even once you've established FrameMaker as your primary authoring tool.

Certified Adobe instructor, Barb Binder, shows you how swiftly you can customize master pages in FrameMaker 11. See how much power you have at your disposal, with a series of simple steps, to achieve just the look-and-feel that you required in pagination for print and PDF output. As Barb says, "you can do it too!"

Certified FrameMaker trainer, Barb Binder, shows how flexible paragraph prefixes are in FrameMaker. Not only can you craft complex mixed numbering streams, but you also have complete control over determining font, size and characters for bulleted lists. Let Barb show you how; you can do it too!

Adobe certified expert and instructor, Barb Binder, gives a highly focused look at how character tags can be created and managed in FrameMaker 11. Watch this 6 minute video to get a good grasp on how you can benefit from this versatile documentation tool.

Adobe Certified Expert and Trainer Barb Binder gives a solid 8 minute overview on how catalogs and designer menus are used in FrameMaker 11. Unlike Word, FrameMaker supports separate catalogs for paragraphs, character styles, table styles as well as graphic object styles. In this simple step-by-step session, Barb Binder covers the essentials on these powerful tools.

Adobe Certified Expert and Trainer Barb Binder gives a solid 9 minute overview of work spaces in FrameMaker 11. This video will be a welcomed resource, not only by Word users who are considering upgrading to a more powerful tool, but also for existing FrameMaker users using versions older than V9.0. Barb covers how work spaces work in simple, logical segments; she also shows how to create and save your own custom work spaces.

FrameMaker not only gives you more control over your Index than Word; the methods are easy and accessible. Watch this brief, 3 minute video to see how you can easily insert symbolic "character tags" around key words and phrases in your index entries to change fonts for emphsis. This method is ideal for changing publication title to italic, for instance. You can do it too!

Index entries are easy in FrameMaker 11: there is no limit to the number of nested entries. This 3 minute video shows you how easy it is to insert a "start" and "end" range in index markers so that an index entry will display a range of pages. You can do it too!

FrameMaker 11 not only provides powerful "mixed" number streams, but also gives you a great deal of control over formatting. Watch this 2 minute video to see how easy it is to make Roman Numerals in heading prefixes right align with a "gutter" to improve readability.

FrameMaker 11 is a straight forward, accessible DITA editor. The process is so simple that you can start authoring DITA, even before you fully understand DITA structure. This 4 minute demo introduces you to the simple user interface and how "promoting" a list item via simple drag-n-drop will change its formatting! With FrameMaker, you can begin authoring in an out-of-the box DITA application with minimal training and ramp up time.

Tables have many uses in FrameMaker; since there is a sort feature in tables, you may convert lists or other sequential paragraph into a table (temporarily) to accomplish a sort, then covert the table back to paragraphs. Watch this very brief video to master this simple technique

FrameMaker for Word: Automatic prefixed paragraphs for CAUTIONS and NOTEs

"Numbered" paragraphs in FrameMaker can include a text prefix. In fact, you can choose to not have numbers, but a text only prefix. Add a tab and hanging indent, and you have the perfect formula for simple CAUTIONs and NOTEs. Watch this short video to find out just how simple this is. You can do it too!

FrameMaker for Word: Number streams for docs with mixed number schemes

See how easy it is to isolate lists or other paragraphs to maintain their own "discrete" auto-numbering within complex documents that have several numbered schemes. For instance, you can define a paragraph that introduces a series of steps and ensures that the next paragraph is always prefixed by "Step 1:" Watch this short video to find out just how simple this is. You can do it too!

FrameMaker 11 "remembers" which paragraph style is in each column of a table when you create or update the table style. This includes paragraph styles that have artwork form the Reference Page. Using these two features in tandem, you can easily create a two-column "CAUTION" box table that will place CAUTION artwork to the side of your text. Since the CAUTION arwork is invoked from the reference page, you can change it there once and update all instances of the CAUTION used in a new table. This allows (a) swift and easy authoring with consistent results and (b) the ability to globally update all instances of a particular segregated caution statement. With WORD, considerable effort would be required to plant consistent artwork in all instances of such a table.

FrameMaker 11's Reference Pages allow you to associate text and artwork with paragraph formatting. For instance, you can place horizontal lines above or below a paragraph, or have a "Caution" box automatically placed above a paragraph. Writers cannot edit this artwork on the body page; one must visit the Reference Page in order to make a change. If the user revises the artwork or text in a special frame on the Reference Page, all instances associated with paragraph styles will universally update throughout the document.

This brief video introduces all the episodes you will find in our "FrameMaker for Word: Do you Write Right?" campaign, located at: http://tv.adobe.com/show/framemaker-for-word/ -- Check out the episodes after this brief intro

FrameMaker goes beyond Word in extending your style control over graphic object styles. As with paragraphs, character tags and tables, FrameMaker provides a catalog for object styles, which can enable you to globally update the position or appearance of named anchored frames and graphics. This functionality empowers you to achieve consistency with graphic formatting just as you have always done with text formatting.

FrameMaker has many functions not available in Word, including the ability to make a "reverse cross reference" between graphic objects and related text. Watch this short video to see how to select objects or portions of a vector diagram, and make them behave as hyperlinked hotspots that will jump to related text. A simple marker mechanism is used to accomplish this.

FrameMaker 11 has powerful table features well suited for long, multi-page tables. This short demo highlights how to insert a "continuation" indicator in a Table Title, and also how to add a footer row and customize it to automatically display how many pages long the table is. Although this demo focuses on print and PDF output, FrameMaker 11 tables are equally powerful for Tablet and WebHelp output.

FrameMaker 11 offers many more options for resizing table columns than Word. See a quick demo of just how swiftly you can customize your table widths to suit your needs. FrameMaker 11 will automatically calculate selected column widths, let you apply the width of another column, or even resize the width of an entire table proportionally to fit within you page.

FrameMaker allows you to tag and change table styles as easily as paragraph styles. There is a separate catalog to view and choose table styles, and a Table Designer to swiftly create or modify new styles. See how easy it is to (a) modify existing table styles, (b) "update all" to globally update all tables with the same style name and (c) import table styles from one document into others. There is much more to FrameMaker tables, which will be covered in more episodes in this show.

Many of us have been frustrated by how "slippery" the positioning of anchored frames can be in Word. FrameMaker 11 provides considerably more control. This video starts out with a bang, showing how you can easily generate a table of parts, views or animations (with auto-hypertext links) to a 3D graphics. The published PDF output provides an attractive, guided user experience. Discover how FrameMaker 11's new Object Styles allow you to name, then globally update the appearance or positioning of both anchored frames and graphic objects. Hotspots also allow you to create a link between a zone of a graphic and related text.

FrameMaker and Word: Single source publishing with conditional text and user variables

Although Word has a loose equivalent to user variables, this features is far easier and more straight-forward in FrameMaker 11. Unlike Word, no macros or arcane program strings are required. User variables are ideal for product names, company locations, designated staff members ... anything that is likely to change in your document. Simple actions allow you to globally update not only the content of variables, but their appearance as well. You can combine this feature with conditional text control, which allows you to swiftly "show" or "hide" different sections of text, tables or entire graphics that are associated with a certain version of your documentation. This allows a single set of source files to produce multiple versions of your documentation for various customers or internal content consumers. These features can be invoked with simple keyboard shortcuts while authoring, and you can import their values and setting from one document into an entire book!

How many times have you had to correct random numbering "mishaps" within nested lists and autonumbered headings in Word? With FrameMaker 11, this drudgering becomes a thing of the past with what most users describe as "bullet proof" mixed numbering. Many also describe it as "easy." The autonumber setting in paragraphs is completely unaffected by page breaks, and FrameMaker has no section breaks. With FrameMaker 11, you aren't limited to a certain number of nested list levels. You can also mix multi-numbered prefix stings in any fashion you wish. When it comes to text prefixes (like "Table X.X" or "Figure X.X"), you have complete control over wording and formatting. Warning: once you use this feature in FrameMaker 11, there's no turning back.

With FrameMaker 11 and you forget about section breaks to segregate landscape pages (which can easily affect numbered headings in Word.) Simple master pages control page layout in FrameMaker, swiftly reshaping columns, background logos, and page orientation. In FrameMaker 11, not only can you instantly insert a landscape page that is disconnected from other pages; you can even change any page to landscape orientation and permit adjacent page content to pagination through it! Discover the joys instantly changing page appearance and orientation with one action. Page layout may be swiftly imported from other documents to save even more time.

Word's style catalogs don't obviously segregate text styles from paragraph styles. FrameMaker 11 provides simple, logical catalogs for paragraphs, character styles, table styles and even graphic object styles. In FrameMaker 11, not only can you globally update headings, lists and emphasized text, you can even change all instances of named tables, labeled anchored frames or graphic objects! This allows you a level of formatting control and document consistency amongst multiple authors you could have only dreamed of with Word. Warning: once you use these tools, there is no turning back.

Unlike Word, FrameMaker 11 has page headers and footers that are not limited to the top/bottom margin of the page. FrameMaker master pages allow simple actions to created rotated running headers or footers in the Left/Right page margins, or "anywhere" on the page. Headers and Footers are created with logical system variables that ensure that "file name" or other metadata will update automatically when source information is changed.

FrameMaker 11 has the unique ability to customize cross-reference formats, which use simple building blocks to display anything from page numbers, Figure Titles, to numbered prefixes and preceding Chapter or Section Titles. In cases where Word requires multiple clicks and links to targets, plus manual entry of text, FrameMaker 11 let's you "have it all" in just one mouse click.

FrameMaker 11 has a paragraph property that will allow headings to automatically position themselves in outer margins of pages. Retagging the para with a different style will restore normal position within the flow. Unlike Word, you do not need to resort to boxed text, anchored frames, or multi-step workarounds with section breaks.

FrameMaker 11's Reference Pages allow you to associate text and artwork with paragraph formatting. For instance, you can place horizontal lines above or below a paragraph, or have a "Caution" box automatically placed above a paragraph. Writers cannot edit this artwork on the body page; one must visit the Reference Page in order to make a change. If the user revises the artwork or text in a special frame on the Reference Page, all instances associated with paragraph styles will universally update throughout the document.

The V12.0.3 update to FrameMaker now allows you to move to another cell, row or column by simply moving your cursor keys. This enhancement came directly from user feedback in our last survey. Try it out! You'll like it!

Many times tables need to break across pages. You may have two rows with critical information that should always stay on the same page. Discover how to use Table->Row Format to keep selected rows next to one another when they flow to the next page.

FrameMaker gives you many potent ways to swiftly resize table columns. In this video, we explore further ways that you can copy table column widths from one table and apply it to a column in a different table.

FrameMaker gives you many potent ways to swiftly resize table columns. You have choices ranging from a scale of the current value, matching another column, or event sizing column width to the longest line of content. Watch this brief video to see how easy this can be.

The structure view for XML editing has become even friendlier and easier to use in V12.0.3 of FrameMaker. Notice that your current element will turn a dark gray in Structure View. You will also discover that you can drag a sub-element on top of a collapsed element, and that target element will auto-expand allowing you to find the correct insertion point!

FrameMaker now provides more intelligent feedback as a result of the V12.0.3 update. Observe your catalogs; you will notice that the current paragraphy, character or table style will be bolded when catalogs are displayed. This will also occur dynamically in open catalogs while authoring if you use keyboard shortcuts to apply styles!

The V12.0.3 update to FrameMaker now allows you to move to another cell, row or column by simply moving your cursor keys. This enhancement came directly from user feedback in our last survey. Try it out! You'll like it!

The V12.0.3 update to FrameMaker now allows you to easily reposition table rows and columns w/o cut and paste. Now you can simply select an entire row or column, then drag it into the new position w/in the table. This is much more intuitive than the old method, and less prone to error

The V12.0.3 update to FrameMaker now allows you to swiftly add an additional row at the end of a table by simply pressing the TAB key. Many will find this new "user-requested" short-cut more intuitive than the traditional "Control-Return."

You can use a keyboard shortcut to insert an element in STRUCTURED FrameMaker 12 (or FrameMaker XML Author 12) and enter a "category" (like "list") to filter the results shown from the element catalog. This eliminates a great deal of complexity, ensures correct selection of the proper element. It also makes XML or DITA much less intimidating to new-comers!